Sustainability Seed Grants
Internal — Brown University only
Sustainability Seed Grants support Brown faculty, staff, and students pursuing research, teaching, and community engagement that use the campus as a living laboratory to advance sustainability goals.
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Funder: Brown University
Due Dates: October 30, 2026, at 5pm (Full application)
Funding Amounts: $30,000 total for FY27; anticipated average awards of $5,000–$10,000 for 18 months
Summary: Supports Brown faculty, staff, and students pursuing sustainability research, teaching, and community engagement that advance university sustainability goals.
Key Information: Staff and student lead investigators must include a support letter from their supervisor or faculty supervisor, respectively.
Description
Brown University’s Office of Sustainability & Resiliency administers these seed grants to advance sustainability research, learning, and community engagement while contributing to campus sustainability goals. The program seeds novel projects, particularly early-stage or unconventional ideas that may not fit other funding sources. Successful proposals use the campus as a living laboratory and help advance Brown’s Sustainability Strategic Plan.
Projects must directly address climate change, environmental human health, water, nutrient pollution reduction, or biodiversity. Community engagement and environmental justice may accompany these themes. The program encourages integrated solutions and collaboration among Brown students, staff, and faculty. Supported work has included climate-health education, drinking-water contamination research, carbon-conscious research computing, waste reduction in medical education, and investigations of extreme-weather health risks.
